Families of Bondi Beach victims demand more federal action on antisemitism and security failures

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Families of victims of the recent Sydney massacre that targeted a Jewish festival released an open letter on Monday calling for more federal action to investigate a rise in antisemitism and the security failures behind Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades.

Two gunmen are accused of shooting 15 people dead and wounding another 40 in an attack on a Hannukah festival on Bondi Beach on Dec. 14.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, 17 families of the dead and wounded called for a federal inquiry known as a royal commission to investigate a rise in antisemitism in Australia since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023 and consequent security agency failures.

Royal commissions are the most powerful form of public investigation in Australia and witnesses can be jailed for deliberately withholding evidence.

“We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward,” the letter said.

But Albanese continued to resist calls from the families, Jewish leaders and opposition lawmakers to establish such a royal commission, saying it would take years to provide answers.

Instead, he announced the terms of an inquiry by retired bureaucrat Dennis Richardson that would examine potential failings in procedures and laws that led to the shooting, which was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group. That inquiry will report in April next year.

“My heart breaks for the families of the victims of the Bondi terrorist atrocity,” Albanese told reporters. “And my heart goes out to them at what is an incredibly traumatic time.”

“My job, as the Australian prime minister, is to act in the national interests. It is in the national interest for us to do the Richardson review on national security,” Albanese added.

Albanese said federal authorities would support a royal commission promised by the New South Wales state government, which is based in Sydney.

The families’ letter says a state inquiry is not enough.

“The rise of antisemitism in Australia goes far beyond one state jurisdiction. It is a national crisis that demands a powerful response,” the families said.

As the nation reels from its worst mass shooting since a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania state in 1996, the usual New Year’s Eve celebrations have been canceled at Bondi. Tickets sold to an annual music festival at Bondi will be refunded, organizers said.

Security will be tightened at Sydney’s main celebration with heavily armed police expected to be visible. More than 1 million revelers are expected to crowd the waterfront to see a fireworks display centered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said he was discussing with the federal government getting the army involved in bolstering security in Sydney.

The New South Wales Police Operation Shelter was established within weeks of the Hamas attack on Israel to reduce antisemitic and antisocial behavior and other hate crime activity in Sydney. The operation has been provided with additional resources following the Bondi attack.

“This is the worst terrorism event that’s affected our state and our country ever, and it requires a comprehensive response,” Minns told reporters.

One of the alleged shooters, Sajid Akram, 50, was killed by police at the scene. His 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, was wounded and faces dozens of charges including 15 counts of murder.

Albanese has attempted to turn the public focus from the perpetrators to the heroes of the tragedy. Last week, he announced plans for a national bravery award to recognize civilians and first responders who confronted “the worst of evil” during the attack.

One of the most celebrated was bystander Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian-Australian shopkeeper who tackled and disarmed one of the attackers before being wounded by shotgun pellets.

More than 43,000 people around the world have donated more than 2.5 million Australian dollars ($1.7 million) to a fundraising campaign set up to thank him for his intervention.

Al Ahmed, who was released from a Sydney hospital last week after multiple surgeries, told U.S.-based CBS News his soul had asked him to save lives.

“I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to see blood, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to … see people screaming and begging, asking ”help, help;”’ and that’s my soul (that) asked me to do that,” al Ahmed told the network.

“I know I saved lots of people’s lives: Innocent kids and women … and men, and I know I saved lots. But I feel sorry still for the lost,” he added.

Street artist Jarrod Grech last week created a likeness of al Ahmed in a Melbourne lane that has attracted media attention. Al Ahmed is depicted as a hospital patient over a banner that reads: “True Blue.”

The Australian colloquialism means “very genuine; very loyal; expressing Australian values,” according to the Australian National Dictionary Center.

“I like to paint significant moments, and that one was about the Australian spirit, so True Blue,” Grech told The Associated Press on Sunday.

“So it’s about the act that he did and I thought that was a True Blue thing,” Grech added.